Ph.D. and Designated Emphasis Advising

ENVS Graduate Student Handbook

This handbook provides academic and administrative guidelines and community principles for graduate students in the Environmental Studies Department, including administrative requirements for passing the pre-qualifying and qualifying examinations, advancing to candidacy, and applying for the Ph.D. in Environmental Studies.

Key contacts

The Environmental Studies Department’s graduate programs coordinator advises graduate students on a variety of topics, from navigating the admissions process and financial aid awards, to verifying that degree requirements are met. Email envsgpc@ucsc.edu to arrange a virtual or in-person meeting for support and more information.

Working closely with the graduate programs coordinator, the graduate committee chair is a faculty member who, in collaboration with graduate committee members, oversees graduate admissions, student progress to degree, retention, mentoring, and graduate student welfare.

Committees

On admission to the program, each student is assigned a guidance committee of three faculty: two from each student’s general research area and one from a complementary field. Though the committee membership may change as the student forms relationships with particular faculty and begins to define their dissertation research, committees will always include environmental studies faculty members from both social sciences and natural sciences.

Committees work with students throughout the first two years to individually plan their further education and research. Depending on the student’s background, interests, and intentions, this may include additional coursework from other departments in particular fields, such as ocean and earth sciences, applied math, psychology, critical race and ethnic studies, and education. 

Enrollment expectations

For a complete list of enrollment requirements, including pre-approved courses, please refer to the ENVS Graduate Student Handbook. Email envsgpc@ucsc.edu to request independent study enrollment information, including instructor and credits needed.

Pre-candidacy requirements

The minimum load for full-time students before advancing to candidacy is 10 units of graduate and/or upper-division undergraduate coursework.

Students who have not yet advanced to candidacy are required to take one quarter each of ENVS 201A, ENVS 210 or 240, and ENVS 220 or 230, and three quarters of ENVS 290L, as well as ENVS 290, ENVS 292 and/or ENVS 297 each quarter until they have advanced to candidacy. Students must also complete one approved “quantitative” course, one approved “qualitative” course, and two approved elective courses before advancing to candidacy.

Requirements after advancement to candidacy

The minimum load for students who have advanced to candidacy is 5 units of graduate course work, usually ENVS 299: Thesis Research.

Academic progress milestones

Upon completion of all the requirements above, your Ph.D. diploma will be mailed to your permanent address as listed in MyUCSC, usually six months after the end of the quarter. If you move or change your permanent address within these six months, you must notify the Registrar’s Office directly to ensure delivery of your diploma.

ENVS Ph.D. forms

Advancement to candidacy forms

• Pre-Qualifying Examination Report form: This form is due to your Pre-Qualifying Exam committee chair prior to the Pre-Qualifying Exam. The student’s Pre-Qualifying Exam committee chair needs to submit the completed form to the ENVS graduate coordinator.
• Nomination of Qualifying Exam Committee form: Due to the ENVS graduate coordinator at least two months prior to the Qualifying Exam date. The ENVS graduate coordinator will get the ENVS graduate director’s signature before submitting it to the Division of Graduate Studies for final approval. Please note that Graduate Studies approval is needed for you to take your Qualifying Exam. If you do not have approval before taking the exam, you are required to retake the entire exam once you’ve received their approval.
• Qualifying Examination Report form: The Division of Graduate Studies will email the student and department with their ruling on the Qualifying Examination Committee members. If approved, print this form and give it to the chair of your Qualifying Examination Committee at the exam. The chair will submit the completed form to the ENVS graduate coordinator.
• Application for Master’s Degree: This is required to advance to candidacy. Please submit it at the same time as your Nomination for Qualifying Exam Committee form.
• Nomination for Dissertation Reading Committee: This is required to advance to candidacy. Please submit it along with your Nomination of Qualifying Exam Committee form.

Ph.D. completion forms

• Filing Fee Application Form: You have the option to go on “Filing Fee” for your last quarter of the Ph.D. program—this is not a requirement. This option can only be used once and reduces the fee for your last quarter to $188. While on filing fee status, you would not enroll in any classes, hold any student employment or academic appointment, use university facilities, make demands upon faculty time other (than as required for the final reading of the dissertation/thesis or attendance at the formal final examination) or be considered a registered graduate student. Students on filing fee status are not eligible for the UC Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan but may be able to enroll in voluntary coverage if they were covered by the plan in the previous quarter.
• Application for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree: Complete the top part of the form and have your dissertation advisor and the ENVS graduate director sign the form. Submit the form to the ENVS graduate coordinator, who will review it and submit it to the Division of Graduate Studies office. You must ensure that there is adequate time to allow for all signatures to be obtained and for the ENVS department to process the form and submit it to Graduate Studies by the deadline for announcing your Candidacy for the Ph.D. in the Academic Calendar – usually the second week of the quarter.
• Survey of Earned Doctorates 
• Exit Survey

Additional graduate forms

• In-Absentia Application: Students who have Advanced to Candidacy may apply for in-absentia if they are doing research outside of the local California area.
• Application for Part-Time Status: Use this form if you want to apply for part-time status.
• Leave of Absence (LOA) Form: Use this form to request a leave of absence lasting at least one quarter.

Designated emphasis in environmental studies

Graduate students from other departments who wish to declare the Environmental Studies Designated Emphasis (DE) should first discuss their intention with their primary advisor and the graduate program coordinator in their home department. The Designated Emphasis Plan must be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator before the student officially advances to candidacy. Please reference the requirements for the Environmental Studies Designated Emphasis in the General Catalog.

Forms for DE students

• Environmental Studies Designated Emphasis Plan: Complete this form and contact the Environmental Studies Department graduate program coordinator if you want to take the Designated Emphasis in Environmental Studies.
• ENVS DE Completion Form: After completing the designated emphasis requirements, bring the form to the ENVS graduate program coordinator, along with a copy of your unofficial transcript.

Graduate resources

• UCSC Teaching Assistant Handbook: Describes the hiring process, the rights available to all TAs on campus, best practices for TAs, working with distressed students, how to contact the TA union, encouraging diversity in the classroom, and more.
• UCSC Graduate Handbook: Lists regulations from the University of California and campus-specific requirements that pertain to every UCSC graduate student, including enrollment options, registration and fee information, and time-to-degree requirements.
• Current Graduate Student Resources: Collection of links from the UCSC Graduate Division of academic and personal support services for current graduate students.
• Graduate Financial Aid Information: Explains graduate school costs and some ways to cover them.
• Tax Information for Graduate Students: Tax guidelines for students receiving funds from Teaching Assistant (TA) positions, Graduate Research Assistant (GSR) positions, fellowships, scholarships, and loans.